Israeli FM Refuses UN Chief Meeting Over Hamas Remarks
Accusations of Support and Sympathy Trigger Diplomatic Spat
Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has refused to meet with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, accusing him of supporting the deadly attacks by Hamas on October 7. Cohen, who is visiting the US, said that Guterres had no balanced approach and that Hamas should be wiped out.
Cohen’s decision was backed by Israel’s UN envoy, Gilad Erdan, who demanded that Guterres resign. Erdan said that Guterres showed sympathy for the horrific crimes against Israelis and was unfit to lead the UN. Erdan posted his criticism on X, a social media platform that replaced Twitter.
Guterres had given a speech in which he expressed concern for the plight of the Palestinians and their displacement by Israeli settlements. He said that the Hamas attacks were not isolated events but the result of 56 years of oppressive occupation by Israel. He also said that the Palestinians were losing hope for a political solution.
However, Guterres also condemned the Hamas attacks as appalling and said they could not justify Israel’s collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
